Philippine SIM card real name system on the road at the end of this month! If the user fails to register within 6 months, the number will be stopped.

All mobile or mobile phone users in the Philippines must start registering the SIM card they use on December 27, otherwise they will face the number being disabled or canceled after six months.

The Philippine National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) on Monday issued the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 11934, or the Compulsory SIM Card Registration Act.

The newly sold SIM cards after December 27 will remain disabled until the end user completes the registration process, which must be carried out electronically through a secure platform or website provided by the telecommunications company to its users.

Users will be asked to provide some personal information, such as full name, date of birth, gender and address, and upload or submit a copy of a valid ID card.

In addition, after the SIM card is deactivated, the user has five days to register and reactivate.

The implementing rules and regulations also stipulate that any information and data obtained in registration must be treated as absolutely confidential and not disclosed to anyone.

Telecom companies can disclose the full name and address of the end user in only four cases:

• Under any legal provision, telecommunications companies are obliged to disclose such information in accordance with the Data Privacy Act.

• Following court orders or legal procedures, after finding possible reasons, litigation can be carried out.

• In compliance with a summons issued by the competent authority on the basis of an investigation, a particular mobile number has been or is being used for a crime.

• With the written consent of the user

The implementation rules and regulations state: "The confidentiality clause in the SIM card registration should take effect at the time of activation, and even after the SIM card is disabled, the confidentiality clause should continue to be valid as long as the end user's data is still retained by the public telecommunications entity. For this purpose, the activation point shall refer to the time when the required data or information is received by the relevant public telecommunications entity from the registered user/end user. Those who break the law will face fines and imprisonment."

At the same time, the telecommunications company expressed its readiness to comply with the provisions of the implementation rules and regulations.

In a statement, Globe Telecom vowed to launch an online SIM card registration platform as soon as possible and will start selling new SIM cards in the deactivated mode on December 27.

It is reported that Globe has 87.9 million SIM card users.

"We will continue to work closely with the government to ensure the full implementation of the" Compulsory SIM Card Registration Act "to achieve our common goal of stopping cyber crime. Globe will provide special assistance procedures for customers who do not currently use smart phones and may not know how to operate online so that they can pass the registration smoothly," said Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu."

Meanwhile, DITO Telecom's chief administrative officer, Adel Tamano, said they supported the Mandatory SIM Card Registration Act to protect the public from "fraudulent activities.

He said: "We support this important government initiative to protect the public from phishing and similar types of fraud. We will do our best to make the registration process as simple and painless as possible for new DITO users and 14 million of our existing customers."

Infrawatch Think-tank said that with the release of the implementation rules and regulations of the "Compulsory SIM Card Registration Law", the government should cooperate with telecommunications companies and the public to ensure the efficiency of the registration process while protecting users' confidential information.

Terry Ridon, convener of the Infrawatch, said in a statement: "Our position remains that the SIM card registration database may be the main vulnerability point, and both the government and the telecommunications companies should work together to prevent negative results. The telecommunications companies should ensure that confidentiality is not waived at the time of registration. Although there is a specific confidentiality guarantee related to the initial subscription, there is no similar guarantee at the time of registration."